The Baltimore Ravens and San Fransisco 49ners duked it out today in Superbowl 47 this morning Beijing time. It was a roller coaster of a game as the Ravens held on to beat the 49ners 34 to 31. --The Superbowl is the holy grail of all sports games in the United States...but the National Football League is eagerly seeking to expand its borders particularly in China.
Nothing like a little Cajun flavor to get the big Super Bowl party rolling on the bayou. The game features Baltimore, and San Francisco-but the big winner is the National Football league. Nearly 100-million people - roughly a third of the United States - will watch on TV. Great numbers but the NFL wants more.
Chris Parsons, V.P. of NFL International, said:"Our primary goal is to get new fans."
Perhaps the last great un-tapped market for the league is in China, according to one of the chiefs of the NFL International.
Chris Parsons said:"China is one of our biggest ’focus’ markets. We feel very, very good about our potential in China. We have been growing probably faster than we thought we would, initially."
The NFL wants to lure the international media and its deep-pocketed sponsors to China - and play a game there soon - but right now, there is no time-table for the plan. The league is focused on growing in Europe first. 24-year-old Long Ding is from Qingdao, China. He was a placekicker in college in the United States.
Currently, he is basically working as an ambassador for NFL China-the league’s business entity based in Shanghai. -And sees huge potential for growth internationally.
Long Ding, Chinese Place Kicker, said:" So right now the NFL is doing pretty good, I mean the fan base increases every year-- So more people understand the game."
So - enjoy these crawfish. Drink in the atmosphere of the big game- If all goes the way the NFL wants-the league could have a distinctly international flavor in the future.
High-profile divorce saga ends